Mar 23, 2025
Williamstown’s Parker Schramm (2) handles the ball as Central’s Dom Gianangeli defends. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
CHARLESTON – Here Saturday morning in the Class AA state championship game that featured a quartet of ties and 10 lead changes, Wheeling Central held Williamstown scoreless for more than five minutes in the second half as the Maroon Knights ran away with a 59-40 victory to give head man Mel Stephens their first crown since 2018.
Gatorade Player of the Year Eli Sancomb went for game-highs of 26 points and 15 rebounds as the second-seeded Maroon Knights turned a 30-29 Yellowjacket lead late in the third into a 43-30 advantage with 5:02 remaining after Max Olejasz found Tyler Dean for a deuce.
Williamstown, which had its 17-game winning streak snapped that included a 56-55 home triumph versus Wheeling Central back on Feb. 1, shot 33.3% (15 of 45) as head coach Scott Sauro’s 21-4 top-seeded squad was trying to earn the school’s third ever state title to go alongside 1962 and 2021.
“I did feel for most of the year that we were the two best teams. I know the score was what it was, but you all watched the game. It wasn’t a 19-point game,” admitted coach Sauro, who got 11 points apiece from Parker Schramm and Cruz Isaly. “Obviously fouls and what not we kind of got a little bit desperate there at the end. I want to congratulate them. I think they get a lot of credit for what they do offensively. Eli Sancomb is a terrific player.
“They surround him with a lot of good shooters and then a really decent big guy and they get a lot of credit for that. Probably what doesn’t go as noticed is how well that they defend. They really did a nice job making it difficult for us to get touches and open looks. We were trying to get downhill, but even then it was tough. That’s why I thought they won that game.”
Williamstown’s Lynken Joy looks to pass. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
Wheeling Central, which finished 24-2 and shot 45.7% (21 of 46), jumped out to an 8-1 lead, but WHS closed it to within one at 12-11 when Schramm found Jayden Bryant, who joined teammate Wyatt Powell with five counters, open for a corner 3.
Powell’s assist on an Isaly trifecta opened the scoring 2:27 into the second. However, 22 ticks later Sancomb hit from deep. Down 19-18, the ‘Jackets called timeout with 1:10 remaining in the half and opted to hold for the final shot. However, an illegal screen was called with 4.4 still left on the clock.
Sancomb took the inbound pass, made four dribbles and then leaped into the air a couple feet shy of the Jerry West “44” logo in front of the Williamstown bench and fired away. A split-second after the horn sounded his shot kissed off the glass and went through the cylinder.
“It felt good off my hand. Definitely felt good off my hands,” admitted Sancomb, who tied Isaly for game-high assists honors with six. “I saw four seconds left so I knew I could get four dribbles.”
Williamstown came out in the third quarter and watched Isaly drain a trey via a Tyler Keiser dime and then Lynken Joy, who had eight points, got a putback as the ‘Jackets went back ahead.
Wheeling Central’s Max Olejasz scores inside as Williamstown’s Tyler Keiser (40) and Parker Schramm (2) defend. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
Following a 3 by Troy Anthony, Joy scored from the block thanks to an Isaly dish and the ‘Jackets pushed back in front again at 28-27 via a Schramm three-point play. Isaly’s field goal with 2:11 left made it 30-29, but Olejasz put the Maroon Knights ahead for good with a bucket and then freshman Luke Sancomb hit from downtown as Stephens’ squad led 34-30 entering the final eight minutes.
“We realized coming in it was going to be a huge task for us. Williamstown is very good,” said coach Stephens. “I have the utmost respect for coach Sauro, his players and his program.
“We knew it was going to take a big effort for us. After that we responded like champions do.”
The ‘Jackets were unable to find the bottom of the net again until the 4:53 mark, but by the time Schramm hit a deep 3 the damage was done via the 14-0 run.
“Their other guys stepped up and made plays, too. We made a run in the third quarter where we took the lead and then it was like they answered,” admitted coach Sauro. “That’s what good teams do. That’s what championship teams do. We took the lead, they answered. We took the lead, they answered. We had some turnovers. We started to try and get downhill more in the second half, but some of those shots were altered or we just didn’t stick them. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Super, super proud of the guys that we have. We have five seniors who have really given everything to this program and I’m just so thankful to have had the opportunity to coach these three guys (Isaly, Schramm, Bryant) and Carson Hill and Lynken Joy. They are great kids from great families. They work hard. They are talented. They are fun. I’m really going to miss them.
Wheeling Central’s Eli Sancomb dribbles between his legs while being guarded by Williamstown’s Cruz Isaly during the Maroon Knights’ 59-40 Class AA state championship game victory Saturday morning at the Charleston Coliseum. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
“I think I speak for our coaching staff when I say that. We’re upset. We’re disappointed that we lost. We felt we could win, but I think in a couple months we will look back at what we did here since January 10-11 and have a lot to be proud of. That run once we took that lead they just kept answering. We kind of failed to answer back in the beginning or middle of that run and I thought that was obviously the story of the game. It really wasn’t part of our game plan to run our trapping presses because he’s (Eli Sancomb) so tall and he can see over them, but he’s a terrific passer. He makes all of his teammates better. When he’s got a cutter he finds them and it’s on the money. We didn’t think that was something we wanted to do. It was more out of desperation when we got down nine, 10 points. We felt like we had to gamble a little bit and when you gamble against great players that result can happen.”
The ‘Jackets shot 25% (6 of 24) from beyond the arc compared to the Maroon Knights’ 38.9% (7 of 18).
“It’s like a bad breakup, you know,” admitted Isaly, who came to Williamstown in seventh grade. “You don’t want to see it end, but sometimes you just got to let it be and you enjoy the times, four years, five years, we played together.
“It’s a great rivalry. We have a lot of respect for their program. It’s all been fun. I don’t regret it.”
Schramm, who added seven caroms, two assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot, knows he and his teammates left it all out on the floor.
Williamstown’s Parker Schramm goes up for a basket. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
“Not just this year, but the past four years have been very exciting and very fun, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Schramm admitted.
“I mean playing alongside these guys for four years, since middle school, since elementary school, it’s been great. It’s sad that it’s coming to an end but it’s been fun while it’s been lasting.”
Isaly and Schramm were joined on the all-tournament team by Bryant, who had six rebounds and the Yellowjackets’ only other block.
“Almost 10 years with the same guys. There’s a lot of friendship, memories, all that,” said Bryant, who shared all-tournament accolades with Dean, Olejasz (14 points, seven rebounds), the MVP Eli Sancomb as well as Kadien Vance of Westside and Wyoming East’s Talan Muscari.
“It’s all been fun. I don’t think I’d do any of it different. I mean obviously this isn’t the result we wanted, but I don’t think there’s anything to hang our heads about.”
Williamstown’s Jayden Bryant goes up for a jumper. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
The school spirit award was presented to Westside.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
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